WELCOME
Welcome to the DC Triathlon Club's general informational page about the Olympic Distance Program (ODP). The DC Tri Club is currently the third largest triathlon club in the nation with over 1200 active members. With such a large membership and with the success of the club's New Triathlete Program, we saw a desire from our members to create a program to help athletes get faster. Originally launched in 2011, we successfully revamped and brought back the program in 2013 with a much more explicit focus on helping a small class of athletes get faster. Faster swimming. Faster cycling. Faster running. Faster racing. Faster times. More fun!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦Registered members of ODP, please click here to access the ODP-only Web page »This page details the training plans, clinics and group workouts. It also has copies of informational handouts, weekly newsletters, and news updates. You will also find our google calendar there, which will help you plan for both the short and long term.

WHAT IS ODP ALL ABOUT?Have you already completed a triathlon or maybe even have a few seasons of racing under your belt? A lot of people have the desire to go for the longer distance races like the Half Ironman distance or the full Ironman distance races, but maybe you want to stay at the Olympic distance level? The Olympic Distance Program is here for those people who do not want to go for the longer distances but want to get faster at the Olympic distance.

This program is designed to take an athlete with a minimum experience level of at least one sprint distance triathlon and improve on their previous results with faster swim, bike, and run times! The program offers three different levels of training to accomodate all but the first time / rookie triathlete. From back of the pack athletes looking to get to the middle of the pack, or from middle of the pack athletes looking to get to the front of the pack, or for fast athletes looking to get faster, one of these training plan options will work for you.

WHAT IS THE ODP GOAL RACE?The Olympic Distance Program for 2015 will have two classes. Class 1 will begin in February and conclude in May. Class 2 will begin in June and conclude in September. While the programs will focus on a particular goal race, other races on or near this date can be used as well.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSIs the training plan personalized to each participant?No, the training plan is not customizable to each individual athlete. As a club program, this issue has been debated over at length: how best to provide a training program for members trying to get faster at the Olympic distance level while doing so at an affordable cost. Personalized trainings designed by a coach will cost an athlete from $150 to $500 per month for the duration of the program. This can add up to a fortune and is not affordable to a lot of members. So the club decided to make some concessions to bring the cost of the program down. Working with the coach, two training plans were developed that can accommodate athletes of various backgrounds but have the common desire to get faster.

What are the training plan options?The plan will consist of thirteen weeks of workouts designed to take an athlete with prior triathlon experience and improve their results. Please keep in mind the plan given for this program is set, and not individually customized to each athlete's specific needs. Each week's plan will incorporate specific swimming, cycling, and running workouts appropriate for that phase of the overall training plan. The program relies on heart rate zone-based training and will include options to help participants estimate and/or obtain their own training zones.

Beginner: An average of 4-7 hours per week of training. Each week will include, on average, 2 swim workouts, 3 bike workouts, 2 run workouts, and 1 flex workout (optional swim, bike, or run for targeted area of improvement). There will be a scheduled day of rest/recovery each week. This plan will require dedication and commitment from the participant in order to ensure successful progression from limited race experience to faster and more efficient racing at the Olympic Distance.

Intermediate: An average of 7-10 hours per week of training. Each week will include, on average, 2-3 swim workouts, 3 bike workouts, 3 run (1 being a brick) workouts, and 1 flex workout (optional swim, bike or run for targeted area of improvement). There will be a scheduled day of rest/recovery each week. This plan will require dedication and commitment from the participant in order to assure improved times and success. For a sample of a week of the Intermediate plan, click here »

Advanced: An average of 8-12 hours per week of training. Each week will include, on average, 2-3 swim workouts, 3 bike workouts, 3 run (1-2 being a brick) workouts, and 1 flex workout (optional swim, bike or run for targeted area of improvement). There will be a scheduled day of rest/recovery each week. This plan will require dedication and commitment from the participant in order to assure improved times and success. For a sample of a week of the Advanced plan, click here »

Where should I be, training-wise, upon starting the Olympic Distance Program?
The Olympic Distance Program is NOT a couch-to-race training plan. Therefore, we recommend that you have baseline level of fitness going into the program. Recommended base level before program begins:

Minimum/average distances per workout:

Swim: 1500 meters

Bike: 90 minutes (or approximately 24 miles)

Run: 50 minutes (or approximately 5 miles)

Total time/distances per week:

Swim: approximately 3000 meters

Bike: 2.5 hours (approximately 40 miles)

Run: 90 minutes (appoximately 9 miles)

How will the training plan be delivered?

The training plans will be delivered via the TrainingPeaks.com website. All participants will be given a 6-month premium athlete account with TrainingPeaks. The club has arranged a significant discount on the accounts so that every participant has full access to all the tools within the website and is able to move workouts around, if desired, and upload their workouts to review and to use the site's analysis tools to really delve into their workouts to look at how their training is proceeding.

Through the TrainingPeaks website, your training plan will be entered into the system and adjusted so that the start date is appropriate for your goal race. However, there will be no further customization or tailoring to the plan. The plan will consist of thirteen weeks of workouts designed to take an athlete and improve their race performance. Participants must have previous triathlon experience (minimum of one sprint distance triathlon) to participate in this program.

Important: After you have registered, you will receive a Welcome Email with all details about the program including: how to register for Training Peaks and how to choose your training plan option. Please allow us several days from DC Tri Club registration and completion of this email for us to process this information and get your appropriate training plan loaded.

What informational clinics can I expect from the program?We have identified several areas that we believe are key to improving and increasing the speed of athletes. We are also proud to mention that the clinics will be led and overseen by members of the DC Tri / Snapple Elite team. The members will be around for questions and answers after the clinics and during group workouts. The specific clinic topics include:

Swim Stroke Technique: Participants will get real-time feedback on their individual swim technique. Coaches will incorporate drills and provide instruction on how to pimprove form and technique. Additionally, coaches will provide tips on how to improve swim time and efficiency during the race (including open water swim strategies).

Cycling Technique: The focus will be on maintaining strong cadence and the importance of turnover to overall efficiency and speed.

Running Technique: Learn how proper running form and technique can help you maximize your efficiency and speed as well as minimize your risk of injury.

Transition Practice: The transition practice session will focus on improving the transition performance to reduce transition times (the often overlooked fourth sport of triathlon). A brief instructional clinic on transitions wil be followed by a bike-run workout where each participant will have a chance to refine his/her transition in a race-like atmosphere. The clinic facilitators will provide tips and answer questions.

Race Strategy: A discussion about optimizing your approach and strategy for the race.

Will there be group workouts associated with this program?
Yes, there will be group workouts held on a bi-weekly (every two weeks) basis and will, in some instances, coincide with clinics. These will include group rides, track workouts, etc.

What kind of interaction will I have with the coach, Co-Leaders, and fellow participants?

Olympic Distance Program website: Participants will have access to 1) the ODP participants only web page and 2) the ODP participants only forum. These are dedicated, restricted parts of the DC Triathlon Club website and forum to facilitate communication between the coach, coordinators and the participants. The webpage will contain the program calendar and any handouts and resources from clinics. The forum will enable participants to connect with fellow ODP participants to schedule workouts as well as ask questions of the coach and Co-Leaders.

Electronic support: The program will offer support to each participant to answer specific questions and respond to individual concerns. There will be basic assistance regarding the TrainingPeaks website as well as heart rate devices (e.g., Garmin, Polar, etc.)

What is the cost of the program?The program cost is $200 per participant. Participants must be active members of the DC Triathlon Club. The maximum number of participants will be set at 30. We are keeping this class small to keep the quality of the program high and the attention to the athletes much more involved. (Race registration fees are NOT included in the cost of this program.)

Please tell me about the coaches!Julianne (Jule) Miata has been a member of the DC Triathlon Club since 2010 and is a certified USAT Level I and USMS Level III coach. She began participating in triathlons in 2007, and has been competing primarily in sprint and Olympic distance races since. Jule attended Washington and Lee University and was a four year member of the varsity swim team and two year member of the varsity track team. She received all-conference honors in both sports. She has coached club swimming for 5 years, and has given private swim lesson instruction and training plans to athletes of all ages (2 to 60+) and levels for 10 years. She expanded her coaching efforts to triathlon starting in 2012, including workout plans and private instruction. Currently, Jule works in the DC metro area as a CPA and campus recruiter at Ernst & Young full time. Part time, Jule is the co-founder and head coach of the DC Triathlon Club's Masters Swim Program as well as a coach for the DC Triathlon Club's Olympic Distance Program.